WHO chief arrives in DRC, says Ebola outbreak can be stopped

The Story

World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Kinsasha on Thursday evening and said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be stopped. He plans to travel to Ituri province, where the epidemic is centered, and appealed to warring parties in the region to declare a ceasefire to aid relief efforts.

Key Facts

• Tedros landed in the DRC on Thursday and was due to travel to Ituri province on Friday.
• The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases (as of 24 May).
• The true spread of the virus is likely much wider, as it is thought to have circulated under the radar for some time, the WHO warned.
• This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
• The epidemic is centered in a mineral-rich region fought over by armed groups.
• No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain causing the current outbreak; WHO advisory groups recommended clinical trials for vaccines and treatments.
• The head of the African Union’s health agency, Jean Kaseya, said a vaccine should be ready by the end of the year.
• Neighbouring Uganda announced it was shutting its border with the DRC with immediate effect, after recording one death and six additional cases.
• The US said it would deny entry to anyone infected and was working to open a treatment facility for affected US citizens in Kenya; a Kenyan rights group has gone to court to limit operations at any such facility.
• The WHO received 4.6 tonnes of aid at the airport in Bunia, while Unicef is sending 100 tonnes of aid to the DRC.
• Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years; the deadliest DRC outbreak (2018-2020) claimed nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 cases.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

The article does not specify the exact number of cases beyond the 24 May figures, nor does it detail the status of the clinical trials mentioned by the WHO.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – World Health Organization director
• Jean Kaseya – head of the African Union’s health agency

Sources: The Guardian